Don't Ask Don't Tell
by UntestedWaters
Summary: Black Star and Death the Kid go on a camping trip to take a brief vacation from their duties at Shibusen. It was meant to be a relaxing trip to strengthen their friendship but when Black Star starts taunting Kid about being gay, will things take a different turn? (Warning: Set after the end of the manga so beware of spoilers. M for sexual content.)
1. Chapter 1

Hello again everyone! Here is the fic I've been working on since...What was it? April? March, even? Now that this is (nearly) done, I will finally be able to move on to other things so thanks to everyone who has still been reading and favoriting and following my stories! I hope everyone enjoys this one too (especially because these two are my OTP XD )!

This is the first chapter. This one has the spoilers. The next one will have the smut. However, there are some sexual themes in this chapter as well. Read at your own risk.

I originally had the line breaks just to show time elapsing but later on they're used to show a shift in point of view with no time passing. Point of view will always be third person limited but will shift between Black Star and Kid.

 **IMPORTANT:** Credits to meangreen101 on deviantart for the cover image.

 **Chapter:** One  
 **Title:** Intentional Mistakes  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Warning:** Language (including slurs), adult themes, sexual content, M x M  
 **Chapter Summary:** In which Black Star makes fun of Kid and they argue about a million times.  
 **Word Count:** 7,744

* * *

 _He heard the slap of skin on skin and felt the harsh rush of hot breath against his ear. His own breath choked out of him, his mouth open in a silent scream. There wasn't even a thought in his mind about the gritty feeling of dirt under his fingernails as he clawed at the muddy sand beneath him, desperately seeking purchase. It was an indescribable feeling, the sting of pain that accompanied the onslaught of pleasure. He pushed back against the feeling, craving more of the intensity._

 _Kid wondered briefly how he'd gotten himself into such a situation. "Oh. Right." Then he remembered._

* * *

"Does this look right to you?" Black Star's voice cut through the peacefulness of the short-lived silence, sending the forest birds fluttering away in terror.

Death the Kid allowed himself a hefty sigh as he turned to face the blue-headed idiot, hands on his hips. He stared at Black Star as he stepped away from the tent he had pitched and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kid shrugged. "I suppose so," he said agreeably. After Asura had been sealed on the moon and Kid had taken over as Shinigami for his late father, he had become much more lax about his obsession with symmetry.

That being said, the tent wasn't as perfect as Kid would've once wanted it to be, but it would surely do for sleeping in for a few days. Or so Kid hoped. He'd never been camping before. Since his father could never leave Death City, it was difficult for them to do father-son activities like that.

Suddenly, Kid wished he had made more time for those sorts of things.

"Hey!" Black Star's voice broke through his depressing train of thought. "You look really gay standing there with your hands on your hips," he said, sneering cheekily.

With an indignant huff, Kid hastily lowered his hands as his face flushed. "Yeah, well..." he struggled to formulate a response. "You're wearing a tank top!" he accused. Tank tops were gay, right?

Black Star looked down at himself, momentarily appalled before he uncrossed his arms to flex his toned biceps. "This is a muscle shirt. It's different," he defended.

Kid rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Besides," Black Star continued. "You're wearing a suit in the middle of the forest!"

"Well _excuse_ me for dressing nicely!" Kid retorted, grinding his teeth together in aggravation.

Not an hour in and the two of them were already at it. Kid had a feeling this would happen. Yes, of course he and Black Star were close friends and long-time rivals but they were still very different. There were moments when their personalities clashed and there were moments when they clicked. That was the nature of their friendship.

"There's no one here! Why do you need to 'dress nicely'?" Black Star said back, making air quotes with his fingers and raising his voice in a horrid imitation of the Shinigami.

Kid gaped like fish, highly offended. "I do _not_ sound like that!"

"'I do not sound like that!'" Black Star imitated once more, making a face and waving his hands prissily.

Kid gnashed his teeth. _A graduate of Shibusen, a three-star meister, nineteen years old, and he still has the mind of a four-year-old._

Kid prayed this wouldn't be how things went for the entirety of their little trip. Originally, they had planned for the three of them to go, Kid, Black Star and Soul. But unfortunately, Soul had called and said he'd come down with some horrible stomach flu and Maka demanded he stay home to rest. They offered to reschedule but Soul had insisted they go and have fun; they'd just have to do it again sometime, he said.

And so he'd ended up alone with Black Star in the middle of the forest.

The bushin was still going on in a grossly high-pitched voice, skipping around like some horribly Barbie-like female. Kid pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on. _How am I going to survive this?_

Finally, Kid snapped at Black Star, who looked like a complete dumbass. "Would you _stop_ that? For Christ's sake, how old are you?" he shouted.

Black Star paused and appeared to think, squinting his eyes and pursing his lips, before answering. "Nineteen," he said slowly, as if it had been a stupid question in the first place and Kid should know by now how old he was. Kid couldn't tell if he was joking around or if he had actually taken the question seriously.

A long moment passed as they stared at one another, judgement for the other clear in each of their eyes.

At last, Black Star broke the silence with, "Alright, I'm bored. Let's _do_ something!"

Kid looked around, checking their little campsite for completion. Kid had set up a small fire pit and arranged their things while Black Star had pitched the tent. Everything seemed to be in order so he shrugged. "Everything looks good so alright. What would you like to do?" he asked. For some reason he felt the urge to place his hands on his hips again but he refrained.

Black Star was obviously pleased with Kid allowing him to choose as he thrust his fist into the air and shouted, "Yahoo! Let's do camping stuff! Like hiking!"

Kid was far less enthused than the assassin but agreed nonetheless. After all, he had told Black Star he could pick. So he strolled over to his duffle bag and pulled out a black tee shirt and white cargo shorts. Black Star waited impatiently as Kid changed. He could feel Black Star staring at him but he refused to look at the bushin. Finally, he tied on his sneakers and stood. "Alright, let's go," he said.

Black Star sighed and rolled his eyes. "Finally," he said dramatically. "You're like a girl." The ninja scrutinized the shinigami, scrunching his nose judgmentally.

Kid gnashed his teeth together to keep from saying something he probably wouldn't regret.

* * *

"Yahoo! I win!" Black Star shouted as he reached the top of the mountain. Death the Kid shook his head, panting slightly. Despite his natural shinigami strength, Black Star was a bushin and hated losing even more than Kid did. So Kid wasn't really surprised when Black Star had challenged him to a race up the mountain and was honestly even less surprised when he'd been beaten.

"Yeah, yeah," Kid sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He could handle losing. He couldn't handle the hours of bragging that came with it. Thus, he needed to think of something he could beat Black Star at to balance it out.

Finally reaching the bluenette, Kid cross his arms over his chest. "Alright," he said, already having caught his breath, "So now that we're here, what do you say to a little sparring match?"

Black Star turned and looked over his shoulder from where he stood at the edge of the clearing. He raised one blue eyebrow. "Is that a _challenge_ Death-boy?" he asked.

"Death-boy?" Kid asked, scrunching his nose in distaste of the horrid nickname.

Black Star shrugged, a grin spreading across his face at Kid's obvious dislike for the name. "What? Don't like it? Why don't you hit me then?" he taunted, turning to fully face Kid as he tucked his hands casually into his pockets.

Kid's eyes narrowed, remembering their second fight, which now seemed so long ago. Black Star had his hands in his pockets then too. He lost. Quickly. They'd fought several times since then, actually quite frequently. They had gotten closer in record, not that Kid actually kept score. Black Star, however, did. And right now he was behind two, which he seemed to mope over more often than he should. Apparently today was the day Black Star decided to try to beat Kid without using his hands. Again.

Kid wasn't dumb, though. He knew that Black Star now wouldn't be able to use his soul wavelength against him, a trick Kid himself had had to learn when he became a true shinigami.

He had one other thing that he knew Black Star himself didn't possess. Patience. So Kid stood and waited, knowing that eventually Black Star would get bored and make the first move.

He was right of course; Black Star was as impatient as ever. "You gonna stand there all day, Kiddo?" he called over the open space.

Kid ignored the sound of the old nickname his father had used and shrugged his shoulders. He watched as Black Star curled his lip, clearly displeased with the noncommittal response.

A moment later, the bluenette was running at him full speed and swinging a leg up to strike Kid with a kick. Kid ducked quickly, crouching under the attack and swinging his own leg out in an attempt to knock Black Star's other leg from under him. The assassin was too quick, though and pushed off the ground with that one leg, flipping backwards and landing on his feet, skidding back only a few inches.

Kid didn't give him much time to recover, rushing at him and throwing a series of punches at him. Most people assume it's easy to fake Black Star out and catch him unawares because he's not exactly the brightest bulb on the tree. However, he is a highly advanced fighter with excellent reflexes and combat sense. So Kid wasn't surprised at all when Black Star dodged most of his attacks, blocking others with his legs when he could.

Black Star counter-attacked, bringing his knee up towards Kid's chest. Experiencing a brief moment of panic, Kid let himself fall backwards, curling to take the brunt of his fall in his shoulders. Black Star wasted no time and brought his foot down, aiming for Kid's face. Kid saw the intent in his eyes and rolled away just in time.

As Black Star came after him again, Kid scuffled on the ground, hurrying to move out of the way. Finally, heart racing, he scrambled to his feet and spun to face Black Star. Kid was still off-balance as Black Star's next kick came upwards at him and Kid rose his arms in an 'X' formation to block the attack.

A scorching energy shot through his arms and into his torso. Kid's eyes went wide. _His wavelength? But how?_

He skidded back a few feet from the blow and found Black Star grinning at him. "Never let your guard down. Expect the unexpected. Isn't that stuff you teach at the Academy?" Black Star taunted.

Kid ignored him, focusing his attention instead on the burn-like wounds on his forearms. _I just don't get it. You have to have complete mastery of your body and, more importantly, your soul to accomplish something like that. I've never even seen Stein do it._ Kid scoffed at himself. Who did he think Black Star had practiced with? Ever since Stein had left on paternity leave (which, was longer than usual, mind you, because he had bargained with Kid for more time off, the slick bastard), Black Star had taken over his classes. Black Star wanted to be perfect before starting though so he had been attending Stein's classes for weeks beforehand in preparation. He'd even taken notes. Kid had gone down one day to check in on him and he had to admit…he was grudgingly impressed. But given the amount of time the bushin was spending with the nutty professor, he wasn't surprised at all that the two of them had figured this out.

Kid shook his head, clearing his mind of the distracting thoughts of Black Star and his new best friend. _Focus, Kid._ "C'mon Kid. You didn't really think you'd be safe from my wavelength just because I'm not going to use my hands, did you?" he called. He laughed that obnoxiously loud laugh of his and Kid grit his teeth against each other.

"Later, you're going to explain in great detail how you and that nutty bat figured that out, but for now, I'll settle for beating you to a pulp," Kid said calmly.

Black Star let out a small "heh," clearly amused by Kid's words. "That's cute, Kiddo." _Cute?_ "Sorry, but this time I'm gonna kick your ass," he said, a lopsided grin spreading across half of his face. With a growl, he rushed at Kid again and this time, Kid was more nervous about blocking his attacks and instead focused on dodging them.

 _This will never work. If I want to win, I need to get on the offensive,_ Kid thought as he ducked and dodged, moving continuously backwards. He spared a small glance behind him. _And if I keep losing ground like this, he's going to drive me off a cliff._

Kid ducked under a kick and dove past Black Star, ending up in a crouch on the other side of the bushin. _At least I'm out of that corner,_ he thought. _But now what?_

Black Star was quick as he turned, already aiming an easy kick at Kid's face, as he was lower than usual in his crouch. Kid saw the sparks of Black Star's wavelength dance across his leg and his eyes widened in brief fear for only a fraction of a second. Then, he was reacting instinctively, grabbing Black Star's leg and deflecting it while dodging and causing Black Star's momentum to carry him past the kneeling shinigami.

Black Star tumbled past Kid, rolling over a couple times on the ground before landing in a crouch himself, arms and shoulders scuffed from the rough ground.

"That all you got, Kiddo?" he called, growling his words from between his teeth.

Kid clenched his teeth, wanting to wipe the stupid smirk off of Black Star's face. _Alright, if he's going to use dirty tricks and flaunt around without using his hands, then I'll play a dirty card too._

With that last thought, Kid shut his eyes, focused, and activated the madness within him. The lines of Sanzu glowed and extended, forming a sort of tri-halo around his head. Laughter bubbled up from his throat and Black Star narrowed his eyes at the shinigami.

"Madness? Really? Here? We're gonna blow up the mountainside!" he called. When more laughter was the only response he got from Kid, he shrugged his shoulders, muttered, "Alright," and closed his eyes. When they opened, there were white stars in his pupils.

Kid jumped high in the air and came down at Black Star at high velocity. The bushin dodged and stone crumbled beneath Kid as he landed. Black Star continued to dodge Kid's ferocious attacks as the quicker boy assaulted him.

With enhanced attack power, the two of them darted around and struck each other with their wavelengths, doing basically exactly what Black Star had said - blowing up the mountainside.

* * *

Laughter came from Kid again as his fingers squeezed around Black Star's throat. The bushin finally closed his eyes and when he opened them again, the white stars were gone. "Alright Kid. That's enough," he croaked out calmly.

The words didn't seem to register for a moment but to Black Star's credit, he didn't panic, didn't even take his hands out of his pockets as Kid pushed down, blocking his airways.

What seemed like eternity passed, until Black Star's lungs were _screaming_ in protest, and then at last Kid's eyes closed, he took a deep breath and loosened his grip.

The lines of Sanzu settled as he pulled away from Black Star, getting off of him and standing. The shinigami was bruised, scuffed and somewhat bloodied and the bushin on the ground was in similar shape.

Kid brushed himself off a bit and then held his hand out to Black Star. "Sorry about that," he said quietly.

Black Star just laughed - a little breathless - as he finally pulled his hands from his pockets and took Kid's in a firm grasp, pulling himself upwards. "Don't worry about it," Black Star said. He didn't say the words Kid knew they were both thinking, that Kid still didn't have the type of control over his madness that Black Star had. But he knew that's why Black Star didn't mind him using it on him (and nearly killing him); he knew he needed the practice.

Black Star used his tight hold on Kid's hand to pull him into his chest, so he could slap him amicably on the back twice. "Good fight," he said lowly.

Kid was used to the show of friendship after their sparring and returned the gesture a bit more gently. "You too," he murmured.

The two broke away from each other and stood in a brief moment of silence before Black Star started laughing, looking somewhere behind Kid. Kid looked over his shoulder to see what was so funny.

When he saw, he couldn't help but laugh along with Black Star.

They really had blown up the mountainside. There was crumbled rock everywhere, fallen trees and even smoke rising from a few places where their wavelengths had missed each other instead struck the innocent wildlife around them.

Black Star finally stopped laughing and said, "I told you we'd blow it up!" Kid smirked as a tiny bit more laughter escaped him. "Man, we're freaking awesome!" Black Star exclaimed, holding up his hand. Kid half-reluctantly high-fived the bluenette, shaking his head lightly.

They had arrived around noontime and by this time, the sun was already setting, casting a multitude of colors over the endless landscape before them. It was breathtaking.

"Wow, it's beautiful up here, isn't it?" Kid said, looking out.

Black Star looked over at him with a funny face. "Hey. You're doing that thing again," he said, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

Kid looked back to him, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. "Doing what thing?" he asked, confused.

Black Star wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Acting like a faggot," he responded, trying not to snicker as he clearly thought he was funny.

Kid narrowed his eyes. "First of all, that term is rude and hurtful to actual homosexuals. Secondly, I will not waste my breath telling you _again_ that I am not gay," he responded coolly, nonchalantly stepping down from his place atop a rock and heading the direction they had come.

Black Star hurried after him. "Oh come on, Kid! I was just teasing!"

* * *

"I win again!"

Kid rolled his eyes. "Only because you practically rolled down the mountain," he grumbled irritably. "And let's not forget who beat who to a bloody pulp earlier," he added pointedly.

Black Star, with all his articulacy and finesse, stuck his tongue out at Kid and pushed his nose up with one index finger. Kid simply leveled a flat, unamused stare at the bushin, who snorted as he laughed.

As they reached their campsite, a loud rumbling sound could be heard. Kid's head tilted to the side. "Did you hear that?" he asked his companion.

Black Star groaned, one hand on his stomach. "Yeah, that's my stomach. I'm freaking starving!" he whined, falling dramatically to the ground.

Kid rolled his eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time that day and said, "Keep your pants on; I'll get you something to eat."

Black Star cackled from somewhere behind him as he dug around their things for food. "Are you _sure_ you want me to keep my pants on?" When Kid turned to glare at him, his hands were resting teasingly on the hem of his pants and he wiggled his hips suggestively.

A blush coated Kid's face and he turned away abruptly, causing more howls of laughter to echo behind him. "Would you quit it with the gay jokes?! I'm not gay!" he insisted.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Kid."

* * *

The sun had set what seemed like ages ago. The fire was crackling and illuminated Kid's pale face as he sat across the way from Black Star who was inhaling greedily on a joint he had rolled. He'd offered to share with Kid but the shinigami had politely refused.

"That's disgusting," he had said, making a face.

Black Star had made a face right back. "Rude," he scoffed. "Don't knock it till you try it, Kid. Really takes the edge off." He paused to look at him as he took a drag. "You could use it," he added.

Kid had given him a sardonic smirk and then flipped him the bird.

Black Star had drawn air through his teeth in a hiss. "Ouch, Kid. That really hurts." He had placed a hand over his heart in a feigned gesture of pain.

That was two joints ago and now Black Star was baked beyond belief. He was laying on his back, pointing out constellations in the night sky. However, each time he did so, Kid would have to correct him and point out the _actual_ constellation he was looking for. Or worse, tell him that whatever he had said didn't actually exist. Black Star was all laughs though and when Kid got up to take a leak, he rolled onto his side excitedly. "Oh, oh! Grab my bag while you're up!" he called.

"Which one?" Kid asked. _You brought, like, five, idiot._

"The red one!"

Kid heaved a sigh. A couple minutes, an empty bladder and some hand sanitizer later, Kid was handing the somewhat heavy but small bag to Black Star. "Christ, what's in here? Rocks?" he grumbled.

Black Star flashed him a toothy grin. "Better," he said simply, unzipping the bag and pulling out a bottle.

"Oh Jesus," Kid muttered. "No way am I getting into that with you right now. You're already too much for me."

Black Star pouted. "Oh come on, would you quit being a party pooper?" he said. "Here, I even brought something your vagina taste buds can probably handle." He half-wiggled, half-crawled around the fire to be closer to Kid and then pushed a bottle of sweet wine toward him.

Kid let that last insult go in favor of staring at the bottle before him. Forever the perfect son, Kid had never touched alcohol before in his life and despite the years they had been friends, Black Star had never tried to convince him to do so. "How come you've never tried to get me to do this stuff before?" he inquired.

There was a pause before Black Star shrugged, frowning a little. "I dunno," he said quietly. The question seemed to have sucked the life right out of the bushin and Kid instantly felt guilty for doing so. Scrambling to make up for it, Kid hurriedly grabbed the bottle in front of him and opened it up.

Black Star seemed a little bit surprised as Kid put the bottle to his lips and tilted his head back, taking a long drink. But it did make the grin return to his face as he sat up to clap Kid on the shoulder. "There you go. 'Atta boy," he said.

Kid wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, swallowing carefully. It wasn't as unpleasant as he had originally thought it would be. It actually tasted kind of...good.

Black Star himself opened up a bottle of vodka and knocked back a few gulps, some of the liquid spilling from his lips and running down his jaw.

Kid couldn't help but scoff at him, taking another drink and as he did so, for some reason, Black Star began cackling again.

And that's how it went on for the next few hours.

* * *

"Haha! No! No way! That's complete bullshit!" Black Star accused, pointing a finger at Kid and slurring his words somewhat.

Kid made a messy 'x' over his heart with one hand. "Cross my heart," he slurred back.

"You, _Death the Kid_ , are trying to tell me that you had sex with _Elizabeth Thompson_?!" he questioned, still obviously finding it extremely hard to believe. He cackled some more, rolling on the ground as he gripped his sides. "You're so full of shit, Kid!"

"Nu-uh! I swear!" Kid exclaimed, sitting up some to glare harshly at Black Star. "Why don't you believe me?!" he cried.

Black Star laughed some more. "Because you're gay!" he shouted, finally turning to actually look at him - big, dumb grin plastered on his stupid face.

Kid gasped dramatically and rolled onto his back. "Not that again," he groaned. Black Star chuckled beside him. "Do you have any sort of evidence for this horrible lie you keep insisting upon?" Kid asked, turning his head to look over at Black Star.

The assassin looked at the shinigami, whose face was flushed red from the alcohol, and nodded. "Sure I do," he replied easily. Kid raised his eyebrows as if to say, _Well?_ Black Star rolled his eyes. "Alright, first of all, you're always worrying about how you look." Kid opened his mouth to interrupt but Black Star held up a hand to silence him. "Hold on, let me finish all my evidence first." Kid reluctantly closed his mouth and motioned for Black Star to continue. "Okay. Where was I? Right. Thirdly-"

"You were on 'secondly'," Kid interjected.

Black Star made a face. "What? No I wasn't."

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes you - you know what? You're right. It was 'thirdly'. Sorry, please continue."

Black Star nodded. "So like I was saying: you also worry about your hair too much. Well, not so much now that it's symmetrical but still." Kid was about to argue that would fall under the first statement he had made but decided it best to not interrupt the ninja. "Okay so... Wait am I on 'fourthly' or 'fifthly'?" he pondered quietly.

Kid rolled his eyes. "Try 'nextly'," he offered.

Black Star grinned. "Good idea! Nextly, Liz told me you pluck her eyebrows. I don't think that needs further explanation. You care about fashion, you're completely OCD about cleanliness which _should_ be a girl thing, you wear gay shoes, you don't play sports, you've never been seen with a girl other than your weapon partners. Face it, Kid; there's too much evidence stacked against you," he said smugly. Black Star had rattled those off so quickly and Kid's head was still spinning.

When he finally got some sort of focus back, he said, "Black Star, none of that is evidence. Those are just horrible stereotypes!"

Black Star frowned. "They're not stereotypes if they're true!"

Kid's eyes were beginning to hurt from rolling so much. "Yes. They are. And unless you can somehow prove that I'm infatuated with men then you can't really go around calling me gay," he said.

Black Star took pause. "Well, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Infatuated with men?"

"What? No!" Kid exclaimed. "Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying?! I've been trying to tell you all day that I'm not gay!" Kid sighed heavily and draped an arm over his eyes. "Sometimes you're painful Black Star."

The bushin was silent for awhile before he propped himself onto one elbow and rolled towards Kid. Before he spoke, he finished off the nearly empty bottle in his hand and then let it roll away. He stared at Kid for a moment before speaking. Kid refused to move, though he felt Black Star's stare on him.

"Have you ever thought about what it'd be like to kiss a boy?"

"What?" Kid said incredulously. He could not believe he had just heard those words from _Black Star._

"Well, _have_ you?" Black Star repeated, glaring at Kid for neglecting to answer his question.

Kid sputtered inarticulately. "I-You-Just-What even?!" he stammered, hating the smug expression on Black Star's face. Finally, he managed an adamant, "No!"

Black Star cackled with laughter. "Jeez, Kid, you're so transparent sometimes!" he accused.

Kid looked at him, flabbergasted. " _I'm_ transparent?! I didn't even know you _knew_ the word 'transparent'!" Kid said.

Black Star gave him a pained look for a moment before he explained himself. "I'm just saying that your horrible, stuttering denial is so obviously telling me that the answer is actually 'yes' and you _have_ thought about it!" Black Star crawled closer to Kid on his hands and knees, making Kid scoot away from him. "So who'd you think about?" he questioned. "Was it Soul?" Kid made a horrified face and opened his mouth to protest, but Black Star gave him no time. "Or maybe pale's not your type. What about Kilik?" He was still moving towards Kid and his voice had become low and husky.

"Enough!" Kid said, pushing Black Star away with a foot to his shoulder. It barely fazed him though and he moved even faster, forcing himself on top of Kid. The shinigami pushed against Black Star's chest, trying to shove him off and away. "Black Star, get off of me!" he shouted.

The bushin was leaning closer to him, ignoring the push of hands on his chest. He leered down at Kid who stopped his movements when he saw the devilish look in Black Star's eyes. "Was it me?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Kid felt a blush rise to his cheeks and prayed that Black Star wouldn't take that as a signal that he'd been right. " _That's_ what this is about? Your enormous ego? You are _unbelievable_!" Kid yelled, shoving at Black Star's shoulders again.

Black Star grinned and waggled his eyebrows, making Kid want to pluck the stupid blue things right off his smug face. "That wasn't a 'no'," he commented simply, pushing Kid's hands away as they continued to push against him.

Kid curled his lip in disgust. "I can't handle you when you're drunk. Go to bed before I decide to kill you just for fun," Kid spat.

Black Star grabbed Kid's wrists and pinned them into the dirt above the shinigami's head. He leaned in uncomfortably close to Kid. His breath was hot against Kid's face and reeked of alcohol. Kid scowled and turned his face away but Black Star took one hand and pulled him back, perhaps a little too roughly.

And with nothing else said, their lips clashed together.

Kid's wrists twisted in Black Star's tight one-handed grip, the bushin always having had large hands and Kid's wrists being slim enough to easily be trapped in one of them, especially with Black Star's current leverage. Kid grunted softly, trying to turn his face away as Black Star's lips covered his, but the bluenette's other hand held him firmly in place.

Kid's eyes remained squeezed shut, even as Black Star pulled back enough to say, "Relax," quietly. "Just let yourself feel. Just once."

Kid took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, keeping his eyes closed, before tentatively leaning upwards just enough to press his lips against Black Star's once more. However, since he wasn't looking, he missed. Not by much, but still, a miss nonetheless.

This caused Black Star to chuckle and move Kid's face with his hand until their lips fit perfectly together once more. Kid had to admit; it was entirely more pleasant when all of his muscles weren't tensed and nervous.

After a few soft kisses, Black Star parted Kid's lips with his own and let hot breath fill his mouth. Kid gasped softly as he felt a warm wetness enter his mouth, its hesitant nature very different from its owner's usual enthusiasm. Kid let his own tongue meet Black Star's, letting him know he was okay with it.

With the acceptance, Black Star became more daring, tongue slinking past perfectly straight teeth to dominate Kid's mouth, causing a small noise of surprise to escape between their locked lips.

Black Star's presence was all-consuming, Kid noted. He kissed with the same energy he did everything else: an aggressive one. He treated it like a battle and Kid assumed he was probably very pleased with himself because if it had been a battle, Black Star was most definitely winning.

His fingers on Kid's chin became soft, more relaxed and they slid past that smooth jawline to sift through dark strands of hair. His grip on the back of Kid's head brought Kid up some, Black Star trying to bring them closer together.

Their kissing continued for several more minutes, all a mess of teeth and tongues, until finally Black Star pulled back, tugging on Kid's lower lip with his teeth as he did so, causing the shinigami to whimper softly. When they'd finally broken apart, Black Star was staring down at Kid, who looked up with wide eyes, panting breathlessly.

Black Star had a smug, I-told-you-so look in his eyes as he smirked down at Kid. Kid crumbled under the heated gaze and quickly turned his face away, squirming to free his neck from Black Star's hand. His cheeks were tomato red as he wiggled his wrists some more, attempting to break free from Black Star's tight grip. "Get off of me," he finally managed, no longer looking up at Black Star.

His companion laughed. "I don't think you want me to," Black Star said confidently.

"Yes. I do," Kid said adamantly, twisting his wrists more to make his point.

Black Star slid his knee between Kid's legs. "Are you sure?" he asked. "It's okay if you don't."

Kid paused. _Did_ he want him to move? He mentally shook himself. _Don't be ridiculous. It's just the alcohol talking._

"N-no. I - you... Just get off me!" Kid stumbled his way through his sentence, tugging harshly against Black Star's grip.

The bushin continued to smirk as he finally pushed away from Kid, sitting up. Kid, hands now free, shoved at him aggressively and twisted his hips to throw Black Star off of him. This caused the bluenette to chuckle as he flopped onto his side, bracing his fall with one elbow.

Kid sat up and scooted away from Black Star, pulling his knees to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees, pouting somewhat. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling very well. The alcohol was settling in his stomach in a funny way, seeming to swirl and turn his organs inside out.

Silence fell over the two of them but it wasn't an easy silence; it was a tense, awkward, uncomfortable silence that Kid hated.

"Why did you do that?"

Black Star didn't look up from where he was drawing circles in the dirt. "Hm?"

Kid frowned, looking downward, away from Black Star. "I said, 'why did you do that?' Why did you...kiss me?" His voice trailed off, showing his reluctance to speak the words.

Black Star shrugged the shoulder that wasn't supporting his weight, one corner of his mouth still tugged up into a mocking grin. He still didn't look up, instead fixing his gaze on the patterns he'd created in the ground. "Because I wanted to," he said simply.

Kid had to stop himself from scoffing. _There's no way it's that simple._ "But _why_?" he asked again, not understanding as he stared at the nonchalant bushin.

The movements of that tanned hand stopped suddenly, palm slapping down abruptly. Black Star still didn't look at Kid but when he spoke again, gone was the nonchalance and in its stead was a harshness that made Kid flinch, burying his face in his knees. "I'm drunk, Kid! What do you want from me?!" He pushed himself to his feet and walked away from Kid, heading off into the trees.

Normally, Kid would've called after him to make sure he was alright. It wasn't safe to wander off into the woods at night. _Oh, who am I kidding? Like anything out there could hurt "The Great Black Star."_

Kid watched him go, disappearing into the darkness. He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at where he had watched his friend disappear into the night.

 _What did I say?_ Kid thought to himself. The shinigami buried his face in his hands and groaned. "I'm an idiot," he muttered. He tugged on his hair for a moment before getting fed up. The alcohol was making him a little moody. "You know what? No. Screw him. He's the asshole that started it all." He was growling the words through his teeth, but stopped abruptly as nausea came over him again.

Kid finally made time to worry about how sick he felt and stopped thinking about Black Star. _Maybe I drank too much…_ he thought as he unwrapped his arms from around his legs and moved to stand.

His head spun as he reached his feet and the world tilted around him. "Oh God," he muttered as he slowly lowered himself back to his knees. Placing his hands in front of him, he tried once more to hold it in before giving up and allowing himself to regurgitate his stomach's contents onto the forest floor.

It was, obviously, mostly liquid and Kid coughed as the pungent scent and sting permeated his nostrils. He wished he had something to wipe his mouth but was too dignified to use the back of his hand and too weak-feeling to get up and find a napkin or towel.

As he coughed and heaved some more, he was startled when he felt a warm hand touch his back and then move in slow, soothing circles. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Black Star bending over him and frowned.

Kid opened his mouth to tell him to get lost and tried shrugging his hand away, but another wave of nausea overcame him and he wretched again, more liquid splashing onto the ground in front of him.

From the corner of his eye, he watched as Black Star crouched next to him and held something out to him. Kid glanced and saw a small, black hand towel. He looked up at Black Star, who was staring at him with a blank expression, before reaching and taking the towel from him.

He wiped his mouth and then rested his hands in front of himself again, hanging his head and still feeling quite dizzy. He groaned lowly as his stomach churned and he upchucked once more with Black Star patting his back gently. He wiped his mouth and nose again, sniffling lightly, and then he stayed there, on all fours as he tried to catch his breath, until he finally felt like he wasn't going to throw up anymore.

Kid finally lifted his head and Black Star took that as a sign to take one of Kid's arms and sling it over his broad, muscled shoulders and help the shinigami rise. Kid growled lowly. "I don't need your help," he muttered.

Black Star said nothing as he aided Kid in wobbling to his feet. Kid glanced sidelong at the ninja, taking in his somewhat amused expression. Black Star led Kid towards their tent and then unzipped it and brought him inside. He laid him down gently and then Kid was staring up at Black Star as the bushin leaned to untie Kid's sneakers. Kid wanted to protest, but found it incredibly…touching, in a way, that Black Star was being so...well, not like Black Star. Selfless.

Black Star turned his back and reached into his backpack to grab a bottle of water, setting it next to Kid. "Drink as much as you can and stay under your covers," he said, clearly trying to keep the grin off his face, as he pulled Kid's blanket up to his chin.

Kid continued to stare at him as Black Star left the tent silently. The bluenette looked over his shoulder to meet Kid's eyes for a moment. Kid wanted to say thanks, but for some reason, the words never came out.

With nothing else said, Black Star was gone and Kid felt like he got the message anyway.

As the tent zipped, Kid opened up the bottle of water and made himself drink about half of it before setting it down beside himself. Then he folded his hands over his stomach and stared upwards.

 _Black Star..._

Within minutes, the young shinigami was asleep.

* * *

After he'd put Kid to bed, Black Star was awake for several more hours...

He sat cross-legged by the dying embers, poking them with a stick. _What's wrong with me?_ he thought to himself. _Why am I such an idiot?_

He would admit that he felt a little guilty about what he'd done. Kid obviously hadn't asked to be kissed, much less asked to be scolded for it afterward. He'd probably been terribly confused and hurt by the whole ordeal. But Black Star didn't feel traumatized at all. In fact, he thought it was almost kind of pleasant. He knew those were selfish thoughts, but he was used to being selfish.

"You're an asshole, Black Star," the war god said to himself. "A giant, drunken asshole." At this he laughed at himself.

He could hear Kid snoring softly from the tent and felt another pang of guilt that was covered in amusement. "He's gonna feel like shit in the morning."

Black Star was one of those people who had no issue talking aloud to himself, no matter how crazy it made him seem. It's how he preferred to go through his thoughts. Otherwise, he got confused fairly easily, not being the brightest bulb on the tree of course…

After making sure the fire was completely out, Black Star laid back on the hard ground and placed his hands behind his head. As he stared up at the clear night sky, he began his self-reflective talk. "Why's he so upset? It was just kissing. It's not like it meant anything. Besides, he got to kiss The Great Me! He should be honored!"

Black Star at least had the manners to quiet his usually loud, obnoxious laughter to keep from waking Kid. He lay there grinning and silence fell, except for a lone owl hooting in the distance. Staring up at the night sky and thinking about nothing, Black Star was soon slipping into sleep as well.

* * *

The bushin tossed and turned as he slept under the light of the moon…

" _Black Star…"_

 _A gentle voice whispered his name and Black Star searched for the source of the sound. It was a beautiful voice, he decided, one that must belong to an equally beautiful woman that he was dying to lay eyes on._

 _But everything was dark and he couldn't locate where her voice had come from. He tried to call out to her but no sound came from his open lips._

 _A delicate laugh sounded, a beautiful, tinkling bell-like sound. Black Star grinned._ This is gonna be a good dream _, he thought. There was still nothing to be seen, only darkness and the sweet, soft sound of laughter._

" _Black Star," the voice called. The bushin imagined himself answering, telling her to come closer so he could see her face, but again, the words wouldn't come out._

 _Suddenly there were soft, dainty hands on his shoulders, which were bare, sliding over and around to wrap behind his neck. There, fingers laced through his hair at the base of his neck and thin arms pulled him closer. Soft lips descended on his and he responded immediately, wrapping his own arms around a slim waist and pulling his unknown lover closer._

 _The lips disappeared only to reappear on his neck and then travel downwards over the bare expanse of his chiseled chest and even lower. Black Star looked down but still saw nothing. There was only sound and feeling._

 _And then there was a hand around his cock, squeezing and stroking in the best of ways, drawing a low moan from his own throat._

 _Shortly after there was a wonderfully warm presence at his tip as his mystery woman wrapped her lips around him. He sighed in appreciation and slid his fingers through her silken hair, guiding her mouth down his shaft._

 _This time, when Black Star looked down and opened his eyes, there was finally something to see. Bright, golden eyes looked up to meet his as his cock disappeared into Kid's mouth._

Black Star sat up abruptly, panting and sweating. He looked around quickly, seeing mostly darkness. Running a hand through his hair, he looked over his shoulder at the tent where he heard Kid mumble and shift in his sleep.

"Jesus, something's wrong with me," he muttered to himself.

As he moved to lay back down, he realized the tightness of his pants and groaned in frustration. Throwing an arm over his eyes, he thought, _You've got to be kidding me._

With a hefty sigh, he undid his belt buckle and pushed his shorts down to his knees. Trying to think of anything but his unsettling dream, he wrapped a hand around himself and tried to finish as quickly as possible.

As he closed his eyes again, all he could see were two pools of gold, looking up at him hazily.


	2. Chapter 2

And here is part two! All warning are the same: spoilers, sexual content, swearing. Please leave reviews! They make me happy and inspire me to write more!

I have decided to continue this story for however long it takes for all of my thoughts to be complete. I'm guessing it'll probably end at about 100k words so buckle up folks; I'm working on Chapter Three now.

 **Chapter:** Two  
 **Title:** Bleeding Hearts  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Warning:** Language, adult themes, sexual content (more so than the first chapter), M x M, shameless smut followed by shameless fluff  
 **Chapter Summary:** Lots of stuff, including two immature adults having a serious conversation for once in their lives.  
 **Word Count:** 13,774

* * *

Kid woke up when light started to filter through the tent. As he blinked blearily, he heard the sound of birds chirping in the distance. He stretched his arms over his head as he sat up and then immediately regretted his decision to rise so quickly. His head spun and he groaned, rubbing at his eyes.

Sparing a glance at his watch, he noticed it was already nearly nine in the morning. _I wonder if Black Star is awake_ , he thought. He took pause as he tried to remember everything from the night before. He vaguely remembered getting sick and feeling bad for himself but not much else.

"Alright," he mumbled, "no use wasting more of the day." He pushed himself to his hands and knees, trying to ignore the pounding in his head.

He crawled toward the opening of the tent and unzipped it in one fluid motion. The sunlight was nearly blinding and he immediately squinted and turned his face away.

He tumbled gracelessly out of the tent and forced himself to stand and stretch again, slowly opening his eyes wider to the bright morning light.

He looked over to where Black Star was sleeping and immediately looked away, his face turning red. The assassin was laying on his stomach, arms splayed out on either side of him, drool forming a puddle under his open mouth and shorts pushed down to his knees, baring his ass to Kid's view.

"Oh God," Kid muttered, hastily returning to the tent and grabbing a blanket to throw over Black Star.

 _Was he...jerking off?_ Kid thought. Then he slapped himself in the forehead. _Don't be stupid. There are a million other explanations._ He paused and then rolled his eyes. _Who am I kidding? Of course he was._

Kid couldn't even find it within himself to be annoyed. What did he expect of Black Star? He was a man's man, someone who indulged himself and didn't know the meaning of the word restraint. So in reality, it wasn't even the slightest bit shocking.

A bit...perturbing, maybe, but not shocking.

Kid started another fire and went through their things so he could fix breakfast. The morning noises of the forest were calming as the shinigami cracked eggs into a pan and held it over the open flames.

Several minutes later, Black Star let out a groan and rolled over in his sleep. Kid glanced over his shoulder to check on him and immediately regretted it. When Black Star rolled, the blanket moved with him, baring the bushin below the waist.

Kid's face turned bright scarlet and he turned back to breakfast, putting the eggs on paper plates and then tossing bacon into the pan.

Deciding Black Star had slept long enough, Kid coughed loudly to wake the sleeping meister.

Black Star jumped as his eyes snapped open. He immediately covered his face with one arm, groaning at the light. "Why you gotta make so much noise?" he whined, his voice partially muffled by his forearm.

Kid sighed lightly, but didn't look back over his shoulder as he heard the bushin rustling around.

Black Star sat up, bracing himself with his hands behind him. He saw Kid crouched near the crackling fire and smelled the enticing scent of breakfast. A smile broke out on his face as he scratched the back of his head absently.

It was then that he noticed the abysmal state of his shorts and he pulled them up, zipped them and buckled his belt. He didn't even have the decency to be embarrassed. As he sat up further, he noticed the blanket and frowned at it.

"Morning," he called to Kid.

The shinigami finally chanced another glance over his shoulder, grateful when he saw Black Star was fully clothed. "Good morning," he responded smoothly. He raised one carefully-plucked eyebrow. "Breakfast?"

Black Star grunted in response, eagerly crawling towards Kid, clearly too lazy to stand and walk. Kid handed him a plate and a plastic fork and Black Star didn't hesitate as he scarfed down his eggs and bacon.

Kid pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Black Star eat. _Disgusting_ … he thought as he at his food in a much more refined fashion.

* * *

Black Star watched Kid eat and tried to figure him out. _Does he remember?_ It didn't seem like he did. Kid seemed completely at ease which was a stark contrast to how he seemed last night.

He forced himself to silence the voice in his head and just finish eating. After he did, he got up and went to find clean clothes. "I think I'm gonna head down to the lake to wash up," he informed Kid.

The shinigami swallowed quickly and set his plate aside, standing and brushing himself off. "Good, I'll come with you," he said, his mood seeming to brighten at the thought of being clean. Well, cleaner.

Black Star smiled at that, not disturbed at all by the excitement that came with the thought. Kid's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why are you smiling like that?" he said, completely naive. "C'mon. It'll be fun. We'll swim and fish and all that. More 'camping stuff'. Isn't that what you wanted to do?" He clapped Black Star on the shoulder and then moved past him to gather his things.

"Yeah! Sounds good. Let's go then," Black Star said. Kid made a face at his impatience as Black Star hurried to his feet and tossed his empty plate and plastic silverware into one of the large trash bags they had brought along with them. He crossed his muscled arms over his chest and looked restlessly down at Kid, who was still rifling through his things. "Let's go!" he repeated before turning away from Kid to head off towards the path that lead down to the lake.

* * *

Kid had rushed after Black Star, hurriedly throwing things away and digging through his bag until he found what he needed. He'd had to run briefly to catch up with Black Star and when he had, the younger boy simply glanced at him and said, "'Bout time you showed up," a stupid smirk denoting how funny he thought he was.

Kid clenched his fists to keep from reaching out to hit the bluenette. "Well, it was nice of you to run off. You could've waited for me, you know," he said bitterly.

Black Star simply made a face at him as they reached the water's edge and this time, Kid couldn't help it; he did reach out to punch him harshly in the arm. Black Star just laughed and flexed his bicep. "Don't hurt your hand!" he teased. Kid rolled his eyes and made the mistake of turning his back to Black Star. Before he knew it, he was hoisted over a large pair of shoulders, one arm around one of his legs and the other under one of his arms.

The sudden loss of footing and balance had Kid's heart beating frantically and his hands clutching at Black Star's arm and shoulder. "Black Star! Put me down!" he shrieked.

Kid's entire body shifted as Black Star shrugged. "Alright," he said.

The shinigami's eyes widened as he realized Black Star's intent. "Wait! No! That's not what I meant!" he shouted, his hands now clutching at Black Star's arm in a desperate attempt to cling.

But it was useless. Black Star had the upper hand in this position and he was stronger than Kid was. He waded about mid-thigh deep into the water. He now held Kid in his arms nearly above his head. "One - " he dipped him down once, "Two - " he dipped him down again, "Three!" And then he was tossing Kid into the lake, completely ignoring Kid's last, futile attempts to get Black Star to stop and put him down.

Black Star bent at the waist, wrapping his arms around his midsection as he laughed at the sight of Kid waving his arms frantically as he fell. The look on his face right before he hit the water was priceless. Kid broke the surface of the water and sputtered for a few seconds, spitting out water. He walked towards Black Star, slower due to the water-logged nature of his clothing. "That was completely unnecessary," he said, glaring at Black Star.

Kid pulled at his white shirt, which was soaked and clinging to his body. "Ugh, it just feels disgusting." He pulled it over his head and then threw it at Black Star, the wet material whipping against Black Star's arm as he caught it, still laughing.

"You look like a drowned animal!" he shouted between his chuckles. Kid rolled his eyes and then hopped around as he tried to pull off his shoes. He lost his balance, falling below the water's surface again, which of course caused Black Star to laugh even harder. "Oh my god! This is priceless!"

Kid threw both of his shoes at Black Star who flinched and held his arm up to protect his face. "You're such a dick!" he yelled, his eyebrows drawn together in anger.

"Yeah, yeah," he said in response. "I know, but you should see the look on your face!" He erupted in laughter once more.

Kid huffed indignantly and worked on getting off his shorts. When he had finally disrobed completely, he threw the sopping wet material towards the sand.

He moved to the edge of the water to retrieve his soap and tried not to feel Black Star's eyes on him as he did so. Only once Kid was covered to the waist in water did he look back over at Black Star, who had moved back to the sand to pull off his own clothes.

He pulled his shirt over his head in one quick motion, baring his tanned back, which was rippling with taut muscle, to Kid's eyes. Said eyes were quickly averted as the shinigami questioned his own brain's focus on the way the muscle moved under Black Star's skin as his hands moved to the buckle of his belt.

Instead, Kid looked down to the bar of soap in his hands. He didn't want look back at Black Star now that he was completely naked, never having been quite at ease with the idea of someone seeing him so fully...exposed. It made him feel vulnerable, which wasn't something Kid felt often and most definitely didn't like.

As he started rubbing the bar of soap in his hands to create a lather, he took a glance behind him and regretted it once again. Black Star was standing stark naked with his hands folded behind his head, seeming to soak up the warming rays of the morning sun.

Kid's eyes betrayed him as they skimmed down the lean, tan length of Black Star's body, guiltily pausing at the juncture of his thighs. Kid didn't notice that his tongue was running slowly over his lips until Black Star cleared his throat loudly. The shinigami blinked out of his stupor and looked up at Black Star to find him grinning cheekily, entirely unabashed.

Kid quickly turned away, chewing on his lip nervously as he felt heat rush to his face. _Christ, no wonder he thinks you're gay_ , he berated himself. To save the last of his dignity, he managed to not look back over at the bushin for almost the duration of their silent bath.

* * *

Black Star couldn't help it as he tried to stifle the airy laughter that came from between his grinning teeth. As much as Kid tried convincing him he wasn't gay, he made it too easy to catch him, which made it very easy to tease him.

Black Star splashed into the lake much less elegantly than Kid had, diving head-first into the water and then rolling onto his back and floating, relishing in the cool feel.

Folding his hands neatly behind his head, he looked over at Kid, watching as the drops of water slid down the ivory skin of his back. Black Star hardly even noticed he was staring as Kid ran his soapy hands all over his torso and arms and then lower and finally Black Star looked away, deciding Kid deserved a little privacy.

The war god put his feet on the sandy lake floor and lazily stretched, splashing water up at himself. Finally, he began the washing process himself. Only several minutes later, when he heard Kid duck under the water, did he chance another glance in his direction. He watched the ripples in the water's surface until Kid came back up, breaking the surface into more ripples in what seemed to Black Star to be the least disruptive way possible. Rivulets of water dripped down from his dark hair, which was plastered to his neck, and cascaded further, over his shoulders and down his back to his slender waist.

Black Star watched, grinning like an idiot, as Kid pushed his hands back through his wet hair and set his fingers in to scrub and wash his scalp. Black Star's eyes caught on Kid's triceps as the wiry muscle flexed under perfectly smooth skin. Then they traveled lower, over the tensing deltoids, the hollow of his back and then nothing but the water, which concealed what Black Star could only imagine.

He hadn't even realized his jaw had fallen slack as he pictured -

And then Kid was turning to peek at Black Star over his shoulder and the assassin was flashing him a wide, toothy smile, trying not to laugh at the embarrassed expression on Kid's face. He let his eyes go up and down Kid's body very deliberately and then let out a low wolf whistle. The shinigami turned his back, trying to keep Black Star from seeing the blush on his cheeks. The bushin laughed out loud before ducking under the water to wash his hair.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to pass just as quickly as the first. After washing up, the boys decided a day on the lake was the best thing to do. So they threw on swim trunks and spent several hours swimming, jumping off nearby cliffs into the water, playing dumb games, and of course, trying to drown each other.

After they'd tired themselves out enough, they'd sat at the edge of the dock and spent a couple hours fishing, which - to Kid's dismay - Black Star was very good at.

"Have you even caught anything?" he had taunted, his third fish wiggling at the end of his line.

Kid had heaved a hefty sigh. "It's not my fault that fish are more attracted to idiocy," he had replied, only a twinge of jealous bitterness coating his voice.

Black Star had laughed his Black Star laugh and proceeded to give Kid a few extra pointers to make it easier.

At the end of it all, Black Star had caught dinner and Kid was at least satisfied knowing he'd managed to catch one fish, even if it was small and they ended up throwing it back.

The sun was setting as they made their way back up from the water, finally dry and carrying dirty clothes, wet trunks and a pale of fish.

Black Star handled the fire while Kid set things out to dry and put the dirty laundry away _somewhere_.

Things went smoothly. Black Star cooked and chattered as was typical and Kid made a few jeering responses when he could, making the bluenette laugh.

Everything was normal up until Kid blurted out, "So what happened last night?"

Black Star was very focused on his food and spoke with his mouth full. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kid shrugged sheepishly and let himself laugh a little. "Well, I don't remember most of it, thanks to you, so could you fill in the blanks?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Black Star thought briefly, trying to remember everything himself. "Uh… Well, you were a total buzzkill for awhile. You were all 'marijuana is disgusting' and 'Black Star you're a bad influence.'" He was using his high-pitched impression of Kid again and Kid couldn't help but roll his eyes. Black Star chuckled and then shook his head lightly. "But obviously you finally decided to take the stick out of your ass and loosen up. So we drank and played cards and just hung out." He shrugged and looked like he was done before his face lit up and he laughed again. "Oh yeah! You tried to convince me you slept with Liz!" He cackled even harder, still finding the idea of it hilarious and entirely impossible.

Kid choked on the water he started drinking and coughed a few times before he managed to be able to talk. "Why are you laughing?!" he demanded. "Wait, you didn't believe me?" The realization dawned on him and it was clear to Black Star that Little Miss Priss was just as offended as he had been the night before. The bushin simply shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, it's true! You know I don't lie!" he defended.

Black Star rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Kid's jaw seemed to tighten and Black Star assumed he was clenching his teeth. "Whatever. I don't need to convince you of anything," he said haughtily.

Black Star only laughed harder at this. "Okay, whatever you say." He took a careful pause and waited until Kid met his eyes before he said flippantly, "Oh yeah. And we kissed."

There was a long moment as Kid just stared at Black Star, brow furrowed, and Black Star just stared back, pearly white smile unwavering.

"...what?"

Black Star had to give Kid some credit; his voice was much calmer than he expected it to be. He shrugged in response. "We kissed," he said again, just as casually. He took another bite of food as he watched Kid, eagerly awaiting his real reaction.

The shinigami didn't move for a long moment before he exploded. "We did _what_?!" he yelled, setting his food aside in what Black Star assumed was preparation for a lot of talking with his hands.

"We kissed," Black Star said for the third time, and quite frankly he was getting tired of saying it.

"What do you mean 'we kissed'?!" Kid shrieked.

Black Star rolled his eyes. "If you make me say it one more time, I swear I'm gonna -"

" _Why?!_ " Kid said shrilly.

This time, Black Star couldn't help but laugh as he shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. We were drunk. So what?" he said before he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "It's not a problem right? Unless...you're gay that is."

Kid spluttered with as much dignity as he could manage, which was little to none. "I'm not!" he assured, crossing his arms petulantly over his chest.

Black Star laughed again and said, "Relax. I'm just teasing you. Don't worry about all of that. It was your first time drinking; I won't hold you accountable for your actions." Kid seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Even if they were super freaking gay," Black Star added, grinning.

Kid resisted the urge to pull out his own hair.

* * *

It was later that night that Kid said something that threw Black Star for a loop. They were sitting close to the fire, toasting marshmallows and turning them into s'mores (which Black Star considered the greatest invention ever) when it happened.

"So how'd you convince me to drink with you?" he said it so nonchalantly that Black Star couldn't think it was anything but an innocent question.

The bushin had to think a bit before he answered, though and he stalled by messily eating the s'more in his hand. After the pause became uncomfortable, he shrugged and licked his fingers. "I dunno. I told you to loosen up and shocking everyone, you did."

Kid's brow was furrowed as he thought over what Black Star said and the assassin wished he would just drop it. But of course, he didn't. "It's just weird. I've never touched the stuff in my life and I always felt my dad would be disappointed if I did so... I don't know. I guess I shocked myself as well," he said, voice trailing off at the end.

Black Star stared at him for a moment and then all he could think to say was, "Sorry."

* * *

Kid pretended like he wasn't looking at Black Star but really, he was watching him intently, gauging his expression. There was something hidden beneath his response and it was something familiar that he couldn't place.

It was long, silent moments before it struck him. _I remember! I asked him why he hadn't asked me to do this before and he wouldn't give me a straight answer or look me in the eye_. Kid cleared his throat lightly and spoke again, trying to keep his voice gentle, coaxing almost. "So how come you never asked me to get drunk with you before? We're friends, aren't we?" he asked carefully.

Black Star still didn't look over at Kid, instead choosing to focus on the ground. He laughed a little, but Kid thought it seemed forced. "It's funny. You asked me that last night," he said.

When he made no other attempt to answer, Kid raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he asked.

Black Star didn't say anything for a long time and Kid began to think that maybe he wasn't going to answer at all, just sit there and ignore him. But finally, he did speak and when he did, his voice was softer and more vulnerable than Kid had ever heard it before. "I've never had a lot of friends," he said. "I've always been a little...much for most people. When I started drinking, it wasn't for fun, like most teenagers. It was because...I didn't like myself." There was another long pause and Kid thought maybe he was imagining the extra shine in Black Star's eyes. "I guess I...didn't want to push you away or get you into something like that."

Kid didn't know what to say. He had never heard Black Star lay his heart out like that. A thick, discomforting silence fell over the pair and Kid's brain scrambled to think of something to say. He scratched the back of his neck absently before finally coming up with something. "You don't have to be afraid to be yourself Black Star. Especially around me. At the risk of sounding gay," he said, trying to lighten things up, "you have a lot of good qualities and you shouldn't dislike yourself or be embarrassed about anything."

Black Star did actually crack a smile at Kid's joke, much to the shinigami's relief. "Thanks, Kid," he said, voice low. "That actually means a lot." There was a brief pause before he added, "At the risk of sounding gay."

Kid grinned in response and almost laughed but then the awkward, tense atmosphere was settling over them again. Black Star shifted in what seemed to Kid to be nervousness. Kid thought he probably had something to say and decided it would be best if he let Black Star say it in his own time.

He occupied himself with tidying things up until finally Black Star just came out with it. "I'm sorry, Kid," he said.

Kid looked over his shoulder at him, brows drawn together in confusion. "For what?"

Black Star's frown deepened. "For making you do that last night. I'm sorry for making you do something you think your dad would've been disappointed in you for. I-"

"Stop."

Black Star came up short, not expecting to be interrupted. He looked away from Kid, a scowl overtaking his features.

"Listen Black Star, you don't have to be sorry. I made that decision myself. And yeah, maybe my dad would be a little disappointed but one of the great things about my father was that he was very forgiving. He believed in letting me choose my own path and make my own choices," he said, hoping that made Black Star feel a little better.

It seemed to work, at least a little bit, because when Black Star looked back at him, a soft smile was gracing his lips. Kid smiled in return and the way the tension melted away was almost tangible.

The silence that fell after everything was picked up was a much more comfortable one and just as Kid was about to get up to head to bed, Black Star spoke from where he lay, sprawled on the ground.

"Do you miss him? Your dad?"

The question wasn't really surprising and Kid definitely didn't have to think about the answer, but he paused nonetheless before answering Black Star's question. "Yeah. I do. I miss him a lot."

Black Star seemed to take that for what it was and when he spoke again, it wasn't was Kid was expecting. "Yeah, me too," he said, voice thick with a sort of hardened sadness.

Just as Kid was about to open his mouth to say _something_ in response - he didn't know; thank you, maybe? - Black Star spoke again. "I wish I'd had a father worth missing."

Kid thought on that statement long and hard before standing and going to lay a couple feet away from Black Star, folding his hands across his stomach.

"I know. And I'm sorry you didn't," Kid finally said.

Black Star turned his head to look at Kid, his eyes dark and serious for once. "I'm sorry you did."

* * *

Black Star woke in the middle of the night again but this time it was in a cold sweat and he had to stop himself before he shouted in terror.

He panted heavily as he thought back on his dream, seeing his father's eyes and hearing the screams of innocent people he'd killed… He saw himself becoming that.

Black Star shut his eyes. _No. I won't be like him. I won't allow myself to_.

Only once he had calmed his breathing did he really understand his surroundings. The night had turned chilly but there was a warmth very near to him. Glancing down, he saw Kid, curled up to his side and head resting on his chest. Kid's left arm was draped over Black Star's middle and the assassin's own arm was around Kid's shoulders.

Making an uncertain face, Black Star decided he needed to move, but didn't want to wake up Kid either. Sighing lightly, he muttered a curse before slowly moving his left arm out of its position around Kid's shoulders. Then, he carefully scooted so Kid's arm fell to the ground between them.

Next came the hard part. After long, slow, painful minutes Black Star had moved completely away from Kid and breathed a sigh of relief. Kid was snoring softly, his mouth open. It was different to see him looking so peaceful and to see his brow free from the usual lines of stress and concern.

He actually looked...cute.

Black Star smirked at his own thoughts and smacked himself in the forehead. _Get away from him before you have another gross dream about him._

The ninja got up silently and crept away from their campsite, the light of the nearly full moon easily lighting his way as he headed for the water's edge.

Once he neared the shore, he toed off his shoes and socks (which he made a face at as he realized he must've fallen asleep with them on) and then pulled his shirt off over his head and slid his shorts down to the ground. Now wearing nothing but his boxers, he wasted no time in diving into the now-chilly lake waters.

The chill was welcomed by Black Star who was feeling a bit feverish after sleeping next to Kid. He didn't exactly mind this strange, sudden attraction he'd been feeling the past day. After all, it was completely physical; it didn't mean anything, so what did he care?

Once he'd surfaced, he floated on his back and folded his hands behind his head as he stared up at the night sky.

He didn't know how long he lay there before he felt the chill really setting into him. He trudged back to the shore, reluctant to put his other clothes back on before he dried off. Absently, he picked up a flat rock and tossed it across the lake, counting the skips.

"Hah. Sixteen. I've still got it," he bragged to no one but himself.

Black Star jumped as he heard a patronizing scoff from behind him. "So your arrogance isn't just an act. Even when no one is around, you still can't stop bragging."

As he turned to look at Kid over his shoulder, he was chortling. "Heh… Yeah, I guess you caught me there." The wind tousled Kid's hair as the shinigami folded his arms across his chest. "Why are you up?" Black Star asked.

One of Kid's shoulders lifted in response. "I guess I...got cold," he said quietly, looking down at the ground in front of him. "I could ask you the same question," he added, clearly trying to shift the focus away from himself.

Black Star tried not to read too much into his first statement and then the wind blew again, chilling his still-damp skin. He shrugged in response to the latter and then to change the subject, he picked up another rock and then tossed it to Kid, who caught it agilely. "Here. You try."

Kid frowned at the flat stone in his hand before kicking off his shoes and stepping down to the shore next to Black Star. Taking more time than Black Star thought was necessary, Kid prepared himself, pulled his arm back…

And threw the stone into the lake without it skipping at all.

The bushin covered his mouth quickly to halt the laughter daring to explode from it. Kid still turned to glare harshly at him and if Black Star wasn't mistaken, a light pink blush crept across Kid's cheeks. "Idiot! Don't laugh at me!"

Black Star snickered a bit more, flinching as Kid reached to hit him. "I'm sorry!" he yelled, amusement thick in his voice. "It's just - you're so coordinated and dexterous when it comes to _literally_ everything else and with this it was just…" He paused to take a laughing breath as he searched for the right words. "It was just an _epic failure_!" His laughter erupted out of him then and he couldn't help but bend at the waist as a cramp developed because of it.

Kid stood by, fists clenched and teeth grinding against one another.

Finally, Black Star stopped laughing and straightened himself, catching sight of Kid who had hung his head in embarrassment. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Black Star reached out and placed his hands on Kid's biceps. "Alright, don't pout," he said. Kid still didn't look up at him. "Look, I'll show you, okay?"

* * *

Black Star bent to find another suitable rock and once he did, he placed it in Kid's hand. Kid had finally looked up at him but his expression was decidedly grouchier and Black Star smirked at him as he spun him around.

"Okay," Black Star began as he fit himself behind Kid. His arms slid over Kid's, dampening Kid's clothing slightly with the water that still clung to him. Gently, his fingers circled each of Kid's wrists. "You want to bend your knees so you're release point is closer to being level with the water's surface." His breath tickled the shinigami's ear, making goosebumps crawl along the back of his neck. Kid swallowed hard, trying to will the heat away from his face. _You've been this close to him before. It's not a big deal._ But then Black Star's body pressed even closer and his arm pulled Kid's back. "Then you wanna pull your arm back and cock your wrist… And then just…" Black Star flicked Kid's wrist forward a little harshly but the rock went sailing and skimmed across the water six or seven times. Kid couldn't help the smile that broke out across his lips.

"Hey! It worked!" he said.

"I told you I'd teach you," Black Star murmured, his voice still very close to Kid's ear.

All embarrassment rushing back in, Kid hurriedly moved away from Black Star and turned to look at him. Black Star looked completely unfazed as he grinned across the way at Kid, who could still feel the traitorous blush on his face. "Uh...thanks," he said awkwardly, brushing a hand lightly through his hair. He didn't even wait for Black Star to reply before he pushed on to change the subject. "So what were you doing out here?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Black Star's grin disappeared as though the question caught him off guard. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and let out a breath that wasn't exactly laughter. "I woke up and…" he trailed off and it seemed to Kid that Black Star didn't know how he wanted to answer the question. Finally, he decided on not really answering much of anything. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

Kid's brow furrowed as he thought on that. "Did you have a bad dream?" he guessed. Black Star looked even more shocked at that as his eyes went wide. Continuing with his intuition, Kid said, more tentatively this time, "Your father?"

And then Black Star's expression was pinching in something akin to pain and shame. "H-how'd you know?" he managed.

Kid shrugged. "Just a guess."

The silence was deafening now that it was the middle of the night. Kid stared at Black Star as the assassin looked down at the ground, his head hung and clearly lost in thought.

His expression was one that carried a lot of turmoil and Kid could only imagine what kind of torturous thoughts seeped into Black Star's mind when he allowed himself to think of his father. A scowl like that wasn't something Kid saw on Black Star often, unless they were on a mission. The way his hands clenched tightly actually made Kid a little nervous.

 _He feels so much pain. And no one knows it_ , Kid thought. Maybe he never really understood Black Star after all. Kid licked his lips anxiously as he tried to figure out what to do. They were supposed to be on vacation; he didn't want Black Star looking like that when he was supposed to be enjoying himself.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Kid stepped forward, feet splashing in the water breaking the semblance of silence they had had, and tilted Black Star's chin up with a gentle hand. Black Star looked up at him, obviously surprised, and when Kid met his eyes, he no longer saw pain there, but instead something like...sadness.

Kid's tongue wet his lips nervously again. _What's wrong with me?_ "Are you alright?" he asked, though he could hardly hear himself. Black Star's eyes darted away again and Kid firmed his touch against Black Star's cheek to get him to look at him again. "Just don't think about it. That's more than he deserves."

Black Star stared at Kid for what seemed like forever, or at least close to it. And then suddenly, two warm hands were grabbing Kid's face and pulling him forward until his mouth smashed against Black Star's.

A soft "mmph" of surprise came from Kid's lips, but the sound was muffled by Black Star's kiss. His hands were strong and forceful on Kid's face, trapping him and locking him in. Kid's own hand had fallen from Black Star's cheek and landed hesitantly on his shoulder. Kid's eyes were wide as he stood, frozen in shock.

Finally, he regained the ability to think and ended up pushing at Black Star's shoulder. The assassin pulled away, a heated look in his eyes. But one look at Kid's face and a blush rose to Black Star's face as he looked away. "I-I'm sorry…" he said, clearly embarrassed as he let his hands drop to his sides.

Kid looked at him, his pinched features, his once-again-clenched fists, the shame in his eyes and blush on his cheeks. _He's hurting…and I hurt him more_. Guilt washed over Kid in a tidal wave and the next thing he knew…

He was leaning forward to capture Black Star's lips in a delicate kiss.

Black Star voiced his shock with a sharp inhale through his nose but didn't pull away. Kid's hand moved from his shoulder, behind his neck to lace his fingers through wet strands of blue hair.

Their kissing was far more gentle than Kid thought Black Star capable of and when Black Star slid his arms around Kid's waist, he held him as though he were made of glass and he'd break if he squeezed too hard.

Only when Kid tugged at his hair and said, "I'm not made of glass," did Black Star tighten his grip and pull the shinigami closer.

Black Star's body was chilled from the water and the night breeze and it made Kid shiver to be pressed against it. Black Star was more forceful, more daring, than he had been the night before, pushing his tongue greedily past Kid's lips to ravish his mouth.

Kid's eyes flew open in surprise at the intrusion, but he decided it wasn't entirely unpleasant. _You're just cheering him up. Just go with it for a little while_ , he thought to himself, letting his other hand join the first around Black Star's neck and in his hair. The bushin grunted in response and then his mouth was gone from Kid's, instead leaving a searing trail across his jaw and down his neck. Kid gasped softly and then felt heat rise to his face at the embarrassing noise.

Black Star's hands held tightly to Kid's hips as his tongue trailed down the warm flesh of Kid's neck so he could nip at that pale collarbone. Black Star's hands teased the hem of Kid's shirt before slipping under it ever so slightly to let his calloused hands rub against the smooth skin of Kid's hips.

Black Star's hands were cold and they made Kid suck in a sharp breath as goosebumps danced along his skin. A wet mouth suckled at the hollow just below his ear, teeth biting and tongue adding pressure to irritate it into bruising. The shinigami whimpered at the feeling.

Kid pulled on Black Star's hair. "Don't do that," he said nervously, voice barely above a whisper.

He could feel Black Star's smile against his skin. "Why not?" he murmured hotly into Kid's ear before he trapped the lobe between his teeth, tugging lightly and drawing another soft, breathless sound from Kid's lips.

While Kid was focused on other things, Black Star used the opportunity to slide his hands further beneath Kid's shirt, over his ribcage and to his chest. He pulled the garment up and over Kid's head before he had the chance to protest.

Now that Kid's chest was bare, Black Star took the opportunity to lavish the newly exposed flesh with wet, sloppy kisses.

Kid found himself getting hard for no good reason at all and opened his mouth to tell Black Star to stop but all that came out was an airy moan as Black Star's tongue flicked across one of his nipples.

He could feel Black Star grin as he took the sensitive flesh into his mouth. Kid's face was hot and flush as he felt Black Star's teeth tug and tease. His back arched as his body longed to be closer to the delicious, wet pleasure of Black Star's mouth.

Kid's fingers were beginning to ache as he clutched at Black Star's hair desperately, his head thrown back and his eyes pinched shut. His shorts began to feel too tight and he cursed himself silently for it.

Black Star's hands moved greedily down and around, squeezing Kid's ass and making him jump slightly. Black Star chuckled at this, the action causing hot air to cascade over the shinigami's chest.

As Black Star moved his mouth lower, his hands slid around Kid's hips to the front of his shorts where they deftly unbuttoned and started tugging at the zipper. Kid's hands finally unclenched and flew to cover Black Star's to halt further advancement.

Black Star looked up at Kid, a curious look on his face. Kid, who noticed his breathing had become ragged, stared down at him and opened his mouth to tell him to stop, that they were probably going too far. He wanted to escape, to run away into the woods and handle his throbbing erection but somehow his jaw just hung slack and no words came out.

Black Star seemed to get the message anyway and simply smiled up at Kid. "Don't worry," he said. "This is something else I'm really good at."

That made Kid's cheeks redden as Black Star shook away Kid's now limp hands and finished unzipping his shorts. Then his fingers tugged deftly at Kid's belt loops until his shorts fell in the shallow water around his ankles.

He almost found it within himself to protest once more but the thought of what he knew was to come was far too appealing to his hormones which severely out-numbered his brain cells.

Kid had to look away as Black Star tugged at his boxers, embarrassed to have his friend so close and personal, everything laid bare. He suddenly felt very vulnerable as the fabric was pulled down and his member was freed to the cool night air.

He could feel Black Star's heated gaze looking up at him as a warm hand wrapped around the base of his shaft. Kid didn't look down at him as he began slowing running his hand up and down teasingly.

Kid was at a loss with what to do with his hands which rested, clenched tightly, by his sides. His eyes were cast sideways, trying to avoid looking at Black Star whom he could see in his peripheral vision.

The bushin was still grinning as he stroked Kid's cock. Kid watched from the corner of his eye as Black Star leaned closer to blow hot air over the tip. Kid's hands unclenched and then clenched again as Black Star took a tentative swipe at the head of Kid's cock with his tongue.

As Kid watched, while pretending not to watch, he realized Black Star wasn't being tentative but rather, he was teasing him. His tongue snuck another passive lick and then Kid was gnashing his teeth together as Black Star's lips wrapped around his head.

A soft grunt passed through his lips as he felt Black Star's tongue swirl deliciously around him. As Black Star continued his ministrations, his hand still held loosely the base of his cock but his free hand was left to wander up the pale skin of Kid's thigh, sending shivers upwards from there through his spine.

Minutes passed with Kid statue still as Black Star continued working him but no further than he had before. It was driving the shinigami absolutely _mad_ with need. But the infuriating man kneeling at his feet seemed to be thoroughly enjoying teasing him as he looked up at him from under his eyelashes, a dark, fervid look smoldering there, trying to catch Kid's eye.

Finally, Kid couldn't take it anymore and he met Black Star's gaze, almost instantly regretting it as he became completely undone. In that moment he realized, _Well, there's no going back now_. And with that thought, his hands broke their statue stance and surged forward to twine roughly though Black Star's hair, pushing him down and making him take more of Kid into his mouth.

To Kid's surprise, this seemed to be what Black Star was waiting for seeing as he tended to his task with renewed vigor and a low moan sounded from the back of his throat. Kid's head fell back in sheer bliss as Black Star's lips slid down his cock over and over. His fingers tightened and Black Star hummed softly, never taking his eyes off of Kid's face which was now pinched with the effort of keeping quiet.

Black Star pulled back for a moment, stroking lightly with his hand as he caught his breath and looked up at Kid. "Don't be embarrassed. Let me hear you."

Kid's lip curled in disgust. "Shut up. Don't be weird about it," he said, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

Black Star chuckled. "I'm not. Just relax. You're all tense. In fact..." he trailed off, reaching both hands behind Kid's knees and pushing quickly to cause him to lose his balance. Black Star caught him quickly as he yelped in surprise and set him down on the ground. Then he pushed gently at Kid's shoulders. "Why don't you just lie back?"

Kid struggled to stay sitting up for a moment. "What? No!" he said adamantly. For some reason, the thought of Black Star leaning over him frightened him, made him feel like he wasn't in control.

But Black Star cooed to him softly and shushed him. "Shh, it's okay. Just let go. I won't do anything you don't like," he promised, his voice sounding gentler than Kid had ever heard it. And in the end, that was what got Kid to ease under the pressure of his rough palms, lean back and brace himself on his elbows, body taut and tense.

Black Star placed his hands on Kid's knees and tried to ease them apart but Kid's nerves gripped him again and the muscles in his legs tensed up. Rolling his eyes, Black Star soothingly rubbed his hands up and down Kid's thighs until the shinigami seemed to relax fractionally. Then he forced his legs apart enough to settle in between them and return his mouth to Kid's waiting cock.

Kid's head fell back and his arms felt like jelly as they struggled to hold him up. As much as Black Star had teased him before was as little as he was teasing him now. Kid had to grudgingly admit (silently) that Black Star had been right. This _was_ something he was good at. Low, grisly moans clawed their way out of Kid's throat and he almost had the decency to be embarrassed but at this point, he decided it wasn't even worth it.

It wasn't long before his arms gave up and his shoulders fell to the ground. The water from the lake danced lazily around him and his fingers dug into the wet sand at his sides until Black Star took them and placed them back on his own head, clearly not minding the dirtiness in his own wet hair.

Only sparse more minutes past before Kid was nearly howling with need, his hips starting to jerk involuntarily and hands guiding Black Star's head perhaps a little too forcefully.

Black Star's own hands moved from their place on the ground to hold down Kid's thrashing hips. Kid whined in protest, looking down to watch as Black Star's head bobbed up and down. The sight was so entirely erotic that it nearly undid him completely.

And then his fingers were tightening in Black Star's hair as he struggled for words. "Black Sta-ahhh..." he tried, his voice trailing off into a high, airless moan. "I... I..." he tried again, pulling at his hair to try to get his message across.

However, Black Star didn't seem to get it as he redoubled his efforts, sucking harder and swirling his tongue. Finally, it was too much for Kid to bear and his entire body locked as his back arched off the ground. Then he began trembling as he rode out his orgasm, Black Star never slowing, despite the mess that was surely in his mouth.

Then it was over. Kid lay gasping for breath as Black Star leaned over him, intentionally catching his eye before licking his lips slowly. And for some reason Kid was blushing at that and then frowning as Black Star leaned in to kiss him. There was a bitter taste on Black Star's tongue as he used it to ravish Kid's mouth. When Black Star pulled away to nuzzle Kid's neck, Kid whimpered softly, wrapping his arms around Black Star and clinging to him.

A moment passed before Kid had gathered the courage to speak softly, his voice sounding dry and a little creaky. "Black Star," he said quietly. The bushin on top of him groaned in response. "Do you…" He had to pause to pick his words more carefully. "Do you want me to…" And that time he was trailing off because there was no way for him to finish that sentence without dying of embarrassment.

* * *

Black Star was grinning as he lifted his head and looked down at Kid. The blush on his cheeks almost made Black Star laugh, but he dare not laugh now else Kid would think he was making fun of him. Instead, he tried softening his smile. "You don't have to do that," he whispered close to his companion's lips.

Kid's eyes darted away for a brief second before turning back to Black Star's and locking his gaze on him. Black Star watched as Kid licked his lips and swallowed past the nervousness that was plain on his face. "I want to," he said, his voice barely audible.

And that was not what Black Star had been expecting at all. Suddenly, his cock was throbbing with need and his breath seemed to have vanished. Then Kid was leaning forward, his breath hot against Black Star's ear. Black Star could feel Kid lick his lips again, his hesitation evident. There was another small, wet sound as he opened his mouth and then he was suckling just below Black Star's ear before capturing the lobe with his teeth and tugging, pulling a strengthless sound from Black Star's lips.

"Do you want to fuck me?"

Black Star's eyes snapped open and now he really couldn't breathe. He pulled back some to look down at Kid, who immediately looked away, clearly not expecting Black Star to try and meet his eye. "What?" he said, voice raspy and low. Kid's voice had been soft and Black Star wasn't entirely sure he'd heard him correctly.

Kid looked nervous as he attempted to repeat himself, his eyebrows pulling together. "Do you want to fuck me?" His voice sounded much more tentative and unsure. His confidence had vanished. "Y-you don't have to," he amended quickly. "But you can. If you want to." Black Star watched the nerves take hold of Kid, who met his eyes with a tortured frown on his face.

A slow, lecherous smile spread across Black Star's face. Shaking his head, he murmured, "How do you go from being that goddamn sexy to being that goddamn nervous so quickly?" He leaned impossibly closer to Kid, their breath mingling and noses practically touching. "Have you been paying attention at all?" he inquired. When Kid seemed just as lost and confused, Black Star rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me?" Then he leaned close to Kid's ear and his voice, coated in lust, dropped an octave. "Of _course_ I wanna fuck you."

* * *

And that was enough to make Kid feel both relieved and embarrassed at the same time. He turned his face, which suddenly felt like it was a thousand degrees, away from Black Star's heated gaze. Only when he felt Black Star's lips against his cheek did he look back to see Black Star's grinning face. "Red is really your color," he said, which didn't make Kid feel any better.

Then there were fingers at Kid's cheek and Black Star's smirk had been replaced with a look of sheer arousal. "Here," he said, his voice deep, "Suck."

Kid hesitantly parted his lips and allowed Black Star's fingers inside, running his tongue over each of the digits and trying to coat them as thoroughly as possible. Moments passed and Kid never pulled his gaze away from Black Star's. Soon, it was completely obvious what Kid was acting out on Black Star's fingers and the bushin's breath had started to become ragged as he thought about it.

Finally, he pulled his fingers out of Kid's mouth, which left the shinigami with a tight bundle of nerves in the pit of his stomach. Black Star looked at Kid and Kid could see the dilation of his pupils and the smoulder of desire in his eyes. "Turn over," Black Star said in that low, husky voice that sent heat through Kid's body. Kid's eyebrows pulled together as he hesitated and Black Star spoke again to clarify, "Onto your hands and knees."

Kid blushed furiously at that, but did as he was instructed, keeping his legs close together as he turned to settle into his new position. Clearly impatient, Black Star gently pushed between Kid's shoulder blades to get him to fall forward. He braced himself on his hands as he let out an indignant, "Hey!" while glaring at Black Star over his shoulder. Black Star didn't even spare him a smirk; he simply tapped Kid's inner thighs until he spread them further.

Kid tensed slightly when Black Star placed one hand on the left side of Kid's ass. Kid continued to look over his shoulder nervously. "Just do it," he said, though his voice sounded a little unsteady.

Black Star finally cracked another smile and ran his hand soothingly over Kid's lower back. "Shh," he said softly, "you take everything way too seriously."

Kid looked like he wanted to protest that, but then Black Star's first finger was prodding at his hole and he lost his train of thought. His mind pin-point focused on that one spot of pressure and he chewed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to adjust to the feeling. It wasn't painful but it felt very invasive and just uncomfortable. Black Star's finger was _just_ slick enough that Kid quickly adjusted to the feeling of his finger moving in and out at a steady pace.

After a minute or so, the resistance had all but disappeared and Kid's teeth released his lip and his breath hitched. Black Star took that as a sign to continue and then Kid felt another of Black Star's fingers next to the first as he pushed back in.

Kid grunted softly as he was stretched even more and that made Black Star pause. "You okay?" he questioned. Kid nodded his head quickly, before he had a chance to tell Black Star 'no.' "Are you sure?" Black Star asked, slowly beginning to move his fingers.

"Yeah," Kid panted, feeling a little breathless. "I just thought this might feel a bit better than it does," he admitted sheepishly.

Black Star had to chuckle at Kid's tone, causing the shinigami to squirm as he wiggled his fingers deeper . "Don't worry. It'll get better," he reassured.

Kid raised an eyebrow at him as he grumbled, "Oh yeah? And let me guess: you know this because you spend an ample amount of time shoving your fingers up your ass?"

Kid found the sound of Black Star's deep laughter to be oddly sexy. "Yeah," the bushin replied. "Something like that."

The shinigami thought it best not to ask for an elaboration of the vague response and instead opened his mouth to make a clever comment, but all that came was a gasp as Black Star spread his fingers in an attempt to stretch Kid more. "Jesus Christ, what are you doing?" he demanded as he tried to move away from the intrusive feeling. Black Star's free hand grabbed Kid's hip to keep him in place, causing the shinigami to groan in frustration.

The assassin laughed again, deep and rumbly. "What's wrong? The God of Death can't handle a little probing?"

Kid glared at him. "I'm letting you shove things where they don't belong. The least you could do is make it less uncomfortable," he snipped. And after a pause: "Or just be decent about it and not make fun of me."

It was Black Star's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm trying, you know. You're not exactly giving me a lot of time here. Maybe if I just -" He pushed his fingers a bit deeper and wiggled them around, searching. A look of concentration came over his features, his tongue sticking out from between his lips.

Kid's scrunched-up scowl immediately lifted as Black Star's fingers finally found what they'd been looking for. The shinigami gasped, his whole body jerking. "That!" he said. "Do _that_ again!"

Black Star broke out into a lopsided grin and pressed against Kid's prostate again, drawing a breathy moan out of the boy beneath him. Kid's entire body seemed to go limp as Black Star rubbed against that bundle of nerves over and over.

Black Star looked on with pride as Kid's arms folded beneath him and he braced himself with his elbows; his head hung, incoherent words tumbling his mouth. He leaned over Kid and slid a soothing hand up his side, making him open his eyes to look over his shoulder at Black Star.

* * *

Kid was breathing heavily and Black Star took a moment to admire the view from this angle: Kid's hooded golden eyes, the pale expanse of his toned back, his slender hips, Black Star's own fingers buried in Kid's puckered hole. Lust bubbled up inside of him and he suddenly felt very impatient, wanting more than anything to thrust inside of that tight heat he knew was waiting for him.

He shoved a third finger inside of Kid and quickly apologized as he heard Kid's groan of discomfort. Wanting to make up for it, he pushed in deeper, seeking out his prostate again. Kid had dissolved into a series of moans, and then met Black Star's eyes. "Black Star," he panted.

Black Star wasn't the brightest bulb and so he stopped his movements and raised his eyebrows. "What?" he said dumbly. "Am I hurting you?" he asked, tensely as though he were ready to move.

"No!" Kid said quickly. "No, I…" He paused to catch his breath. "I'm ready. I want you," he said, turning his face away as he did so.

This time Black Star didn't need to be told twice and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from howling with joy. Instead, he pulled gently at Kid's torso until he pushed himself up into a kneeling position. "Hey," Black Star said quietly, turning Kid's face toward him. "Don't turn away from me." Kid blushed and looked down and away. Black Star smiled at him before leaning in and capturing Kid's lips in a messy, hungry kiss as he carefully removed his fingers. Kid was shocked by the sudden, empty feeling but watched in anticipation as Black Star undid his belt and pushed his shorts down to his knees. He maneuvered out of them and kicked them away before looking back up at Kid, who was staring down at what his shorts had previously covered.

Black Star wasn't one to be embarrassed so he simply smirked as Kid stared before he leaned in and tilted his chin up with one finger. "Hey. My eyes are up here," he said in a low voice.

Kid blushed fiercely at that, averting his eyes from Black Star's which only caused the bushin's grin to broaden on his face, baring the perfectly white teeth that Kid had so often tried to knock out of his skull. "Shut up," he murmured softly. Black Star chuckled again, leaning in to give Kid a gentle peck on the lips.

Kid pulled away first, still trying to avoid Black Star's hungry eyes. Black Star found his shyness extremely amusing and terribly cute. He moved to whisper in Kid's ear, "Bend over." He nibbled on Kid's ear with his teeth as his hands slid over Kid's hips; he could feel Kid shiver against him but he followed Black Star's directions and leaned forward to rest himself on his hands again.

Black Star kept a firm hold on Kid's hips and bent over him to place gentle, wet kisses down his spine. Kid keened softly and Black Star sat up, looking down at the willing body in front of him and feeling a heady rush of hunger sweep over him.

Without much elegance or finesse, Black Star spit into his hands and slicked up his cock. Kid was panting harshly, waiting for Black Star to move. The bushin spread Kid's cheeks and lined himself up, carefully beginning to push in. He could hear Kid hiss softly and ran a hand over his lower back, hoping to calm him.

Black Star kept pushing in until he was fully seated inside of the deliciously tight heat that was Kid. _Oh God_ … Black Star thought, gripping Kid's hips tighter. Just as Black Star was about to move again, Kid said, "Wait. Wait, give me a second." His breath was ragged and short, his head hung as he tried to breathe steadily.

Long moments passed and Black Star thought he was going to die of impatience before Kid finally nodded and murmured something unintelligible that Black Star took as confirmation that he was ready.

* * *

When Black Star pulled out and thrust back in, it was an intense feeling. The stretch stung but the sensation was so fulfilling that Kid couldn't help but groan aloud. He shivered as Black Star's hands ran over his hips, gripping so tight that Kid knew he'd have bruises in the morning.

Black Star started moving with more purpose, adopting a steady rhythm to his thrusting that had Kid panting and grunting. Kid hung his head, focusing on the pleasurable feeling instead of the stinging stretch. Several minutes passed this way, Black Star steadily picking up his pace and Kid relaxing even further until he was moaning nearly every time Black Star moved. He felt Black Star lean over him, pressing his chest against Kid's back.

He heard the slap of skin on skin and felt the harsh rush of hot breath against his ear. His own breath choked out of him, his mouth open in a silent scream. There wasn't even a thought in his mind about the gritty feeling of dirt under his fingernails as he clawed at the muddy sand beneath him, desperately seeking purchase. It was an indescribable feeling, the sting of pain that accompanied the onslaught of pleasure. He pushed back against the feeling, craving more of the intensity.

Kid wondered briefly how he'd gotten himself into such a situation. "Oh. Right." Then he remembered.

"What was that?" Black Star asked, his voice low and disrupted by his harsh breathing.

Kid shook his head. "Nothing. Harder," he said, speaking between his rushed pants of breath.

He could hear Black Star's grin in his next words. "Your wish is my command." Kid felt a strong hand at the back of his neck, pushing him downward. He let his arms down, putting his elbows on the ground and resting his forehead against his now crossed forearms. He could still feel Black Star's hand at the back of his neck, a powerful and dominating presence that sent chills down his spine. Out of curiosity, he pushed backward, trying to lift himself up again, but Black Star's hand was firm, holding him in place. The reduced mobility was for some reason thrilling to Kid and the pool of heat in his stomach seemed to ignite even more.

The slightly new position created a different angle that allowed Black Star to go deeper inside of Kid. Now Kid was seeing white every time Black Star thrusted, reaching that heavenly spot within him. He pushed back, meeting Black Star's thrusts with his own rocking movement, which caused Black Star to let out a low moan of his own.

Black Star was still leaning over Kid and he used the position to lean and whisper hotly in Kid's ear. "God, you're such a slut for it, aren't you?"

Kid's face scrunched up in irritation at his words and he turned towards him enough to glare at him. "Sh-shut up…" he said, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

Black Star was grinning as he nibbled on Kid's ear, picking up his pace that he had slowed a bit to talk. As Black Star placed wet, hungry kissed along Kid's throat, Kid hung his head to bare his neck further and took up a bit of his own flesh between his teeth to keep from being too loud.

Black Star started biting and sucking at Kid's pale flesh and Kid briefly worried about how the marks would look in the morning, but the thoughts quickly left his head as he refocused on the feeling of heat and pressure that was consuming him.

Shortly after, Kid could feel Black Star's thrusts become slightly erratic, needier in a way. Kid could tell he was close and he moved one hand out from underneath him to reach toward his own aching arousal, closing his fingers around himself with a sigh of relief.

But then Black Star was pulling Kid's hand away and pinning both wrists down to the ground in front of them. Kid groaned in frustration and Black Star smirked against Kid's ear. "What? I'm not enough for you?" he taunted.

Kid jerked his hips uselessly, striving for more depth, more pressure from Black Star if he was going to stop him from reaching his peak on his own. But there was no use; it wasn't enough. Kid whined softly, looking over at Black Star. "Black Star, _please_."

Black Star grinned. "Well, since you asked so nicely." And then one of Black Star's strong, tan, warm hands was wrapped around Kid's cock and pumping in time with his thrusts. Kid's senses felt overwhelmed by the onslaught of pleasure and he dissolved into a mess of moaning and panting, burying his face back in his arms.

Black Star was grunting and growling after another minute and then he was saying, "Kid, I'm -"

"Me too," Kid interrupted him, his voice rough and breathless.

Black Star only made it another few choppy thrusts before he reached his peak, spilling deep inside of Kid, but never slowing his hand. Kid was right behind him, shouting Black Star's name in ecstasy and leaving a mess on Black Star's hand and in the sand beneath them.

Shaking, Kid's legs would no longer hold him and he collapsed in the sand, not even flinching when the water washed up under his cheek. He felt Black Star's weight as the bushin laid on top of him, both of them panting and trying to catch their breath.

Several minutes passed like this, Kid trapped between the cool of the water and the heat of Black Star's body, before he wiggled a little. "Black Star, get off me," he mumbled.

The lump on top of him groaned in protest. "Don't wanna," was the muffled reply. Kid could feel a pool of Black Star's saliva when he spoke and that is what did it for the shinigami.

Forcing strength back into his limbs, he managed to lift himself enough to roll a little bit, causing Black Star to lose his balance slightly. The bluenette simply wrapped his arms around Kid's middle, clinging to him to halt further retreat. Kid groaned. "Black Star!" he chastised.

Black Star chuckled. "What? You don't like me?"

Kid rolled his eyes. "No. You're drooling on me and it's gross."

" _That's_ what you think is gross? Do you have any idea what's in yo-"

"Enough of that!" Kid interrupted him before he had a chance to finish his statement and embarrass Kid any further. "Jeez, you give an inch and they take a mile," he grumbled to himself, stifling his urge to yawn.

Now that their bickering had died down, it seemed Black Star finally decided to move and sat up on his knees, carefully pulling out of Kid and frowning a little when the latter winced softly. Black Star was up quickly and in the water, rinsing off any stray fluid and sand from his knees and hands. When he came back, Kid had rolled over and was fretting silently about how much sand was on him but had yet to find the energy to move. Pushing up to his elbows, he yawned as he looked up to see Black Star staring down at him with his arms folded over his chest.

And then Black Star was bending and lifting Kid into his arms bridal style and carrying him to the water. Kid frowned. "Black Star, it's freezing in there!" he complained.

Black Star shrugged. "You wanna be dirty and warm or clean and cold? Your choice." He paused, waiting patiently for Kid's reply.

Grudgingly, Kid grumbled, "Clean and cold."

"That's what I thought." With that, Black Star walked into the lake and dipped Kid in so all the sand would come off. Then he crouched and held Kid with one arm, using a knee to steady him so he could run a hand over his body and make sure everything was rinsed off.

Kid pouted at the treatment. "I can clean myself you...know…" he trailed off as another yawn claimed him. Black Star said nothing in response, but smiled at Kid's words.

* * *

Black Star carried Kid out and away from the water and instantly, Kid was shivering at the cold. He huddled closer to Black Star's chest and Black Star couldn't help but smile at this; he probably didn't even do it on purpose. Kid was clearly very tired out and his sleepiness was endearing to Black Star.

Black Star used his feet to move their clothes a safe distance away from the water, electing to return to the water's edge in the morning and retrieve them instead of trying to maneuver to carry them in addition to Kid.

He did slide his sandals back on as he reached the path that led through the woods. Before departing, he looked out over the lake, which was calm as could be. The silence was definite and the moon, stars and their reflection in the water were the only source of light.

Looking up at the sky, Black Star thought, _If the dark sky is me, then the sparkling stars are Tsubaki_ … "Huh." _Maybe… Maybe Kid is one of those stars too_. He looked down at the shinigami in his arms, already fast asleep, and Black Star couldn't help but smile. _No… He's the moon_.

When they reached the campsite, Black Star ducked into the tent and laid Kid down, pulling blankets up and over him. As he went to move away, Kid mumbled incoherently in his sleep and reached out for Black Star. Smiling, Black Star laid beside him and put an arm around Kid's shoulders pulling him closer and getting under the blankets with him.

Black Star settled in and closed his eyes with Kid curled up against his side, head resting on Black Star's chest. In moments, Black Star was asleep with a smile still gracing his features.

* * *

When morning came, Black Star was alone in the tent, which was no surprise to him. Sitting up, he stretched and yawned, trying to discern the general time by looking at the brightness of the tent. Realizing that wasn't helping him at all, he just decided if Kid was up then it was probably a good hour to roll out of bed.

As he came out of the tent, he saw Kid had started a fire and had something cooking but the shinigami wasn't really paying attention. Now fully clothed, he was mumbling something to himself as he pulled the hem of his pants down far enough to glare at the bruises on his hips.

Black Star pressed his lips together tightly to keep from laughing aloud as he watched Kid pull a small mirror from his pocket. It was actually a shard of the mirror from the Death Room that Kid now carried with him in case anyone needed to reach him when he wasn't at Shibusen.

Black Star watched Kid hold the mirror up and turn his head, tugging at the collar of his tee shirt so he could see the bruises adorning his neck and collar area. He mumbled something else that Black Star couldn't hear and then Black Star couldn't help it; he started howling with laughter.

Kid, obviously startled, turned to glare at Black Star with one hand pressed against his throat as if to stop his thumping heart. "You jerk! This is _your fault_ you know!" he accused, golden eyes glaring harshly.

Black Star crawled the rest of the way out of the tent and got to his feet, grinning. "Yeah, that's why I look so pleased with myself," he responded, shrugging.

Kid rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You could accidentally blow up a children's hospital and still look that pleased with yourself." Black Star laughed loudly at that. "And would you please put some clothes on?" Kid said, turning away from the naked Black Star.

Black Star shrugged and held his arms out wide. "Why should I? I know you love to admire the view of The Great Black Star!" he shouted, flexing his muscles.

Kid didn't even turn to spare him a glance. "Uh-huh. That's definitely it." Just then, there was a little beeping noise as the mirror Kid had left on the ground alerted them that someone was trying to call.

Kid turned towards Black Star with wide eyes. "Answer that," he ordered.

Black Star raised an eyebrow. " _Me_? Why don't you answer it?" he asked.

Kid motioned to the general area of his neck. "I can't face anyone looking like this! Just answer the damn thing!"

Black Star huffed a laugh and walked over to pick up the mirror, answering the call to see Maka, Soul, Stein and Spirit. Black Star smirked and waved to them. "Hey guys!"

"Hi Black Star, is Shinigami-sama there?" Maka asked politely.

Black Star glanced over at Kid to see him waving his arms and shaking his head no. A half-smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth as he looked back to Maka. "Uh, he's a little busy right now. Can I take a message?"

Maka looked suspicious but then Spirit was cutting her off before she could say anything more. "Can you tell Shinigami-sama that when he gets back, he needs to have a meeting with the Grand Witch. Apparently there are some minor issues that need to be discussed."

Black Star nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "Yeah, I can tell him. Soul, you look fine. What was with the bullshit excuse of being sick?" he accused.

Soul rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I just have a good doctor at home," he said, glancing at Maka, who blushed and looked away. Spirit raised an arm as though he were about to hit him but Stein grabbed his wrist and held him back.

"Oh and Black Star," Stein chimed in. "I need you to cover my classes again this week. Marie isn't feeling well so I have to stay home." Black Star gave another thumbs-up. "To be honest, the students seem to like it better when you teach so I have faith they'll be fine."

Black Star laughed and caught sight of Kid in the background, motioning for Black Star to hang up. "Uh, anyway, I should go. We'll be home later today anyway so we'll see you all soon."

"Tell Shinigami-sama we said hi!" Maka said excitedly.

Black Star glanced over at Kid again, smirking. "Yeah, he might be a little grumpy when we get back; he's a little tired and got a few bumps and bruises this weekend. I think he's walking a little funny."

"I'll take a look if he injured himself," Stein deadpanned.

"Yeah, you might need to," Black Star said, trying not to laugh as he saw the look of horror on Kid's face. "Alright, I'll see you guys; thanks for calling."

"You did not just do that," Kid said sharply.

Black Star smiled. "Yeah. Yeah I did." He walked over to Kid, who backed up a few steps in suspicion, and then forcibly wrapped his arms around him. "Don't be such a buzzkill," he said, leaning in to nuzzle Kid's neck.

Kid pushed at his chest, trying to separate from him. "Let's just eat," he said, leveling a glare at Black Star.

"Hah! Okay, whatever you say babe."

"No. No, we are not starting with the pet names."

* * *

Normally Kid would argue Black Star plugging his phone into the car's radio, considering his abysmal taste in music, but for some reason, he couldn't find it in him to protest. He was thankful he hadn't too, because the lack of conversation might have been somewhat uncomfortable to him, but Black Star seemed completely at ease, singing along to each song despite being horrifically tone deaf.

Their breakfast had been good. Their conversation, once away from their small disagreement, was pleasant and though Kid had been worried that the previous night would've changed something, they still chatted and laughed and bickered just like always. It was refreshing.

Kid rested his elbow on the door and then his cheek in his palm, looking out the window with a hefty sigh. A moment later, he was startled out of his thoughts by a warmth covering his left hand. He looked over at Black Star, who had stopped banging on the steering wheel like it was a bongo drum and was driving with one hand, thankfully still looking at the road even though he had reached across to touch Kid.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked. Kid was surprised by the question and only shrugged in response, which Black Star glanced at him to catch the movement. "C'mon. That's not an answer. You had to be thinking about _something_. I can practically feel the steam coming from the gears in your head," he teased.

Kid almost took the time to explain how that didn't even make any sense but he decided against it and said, "I dunno. I'm just...thinking," with a shrug.

Black Star heaved a sigh shaped like the grin on his lips and shook his head lightly. "Alright, if you don't wanna tell me, just go back to your silent brooding."

"Brooding?! I don't _brood_."

"Hah!"

Kid's frown deepened and he returned to his stony silence. He just wasn't ready to tell Black Star what he'd been thinking about. He didn't want him to get nervous or uncomfortable and then not answer honestly.

Kid was really wondering why Black Star had never told him he was gay. _Did he not think he could trust me or was he scared I would judge him? I feel so bad_ … It was eating at the shinigami, thinking that Black Star had gone all this time and never told someone out of the fear of being ridiculed.

Finally, Kid couldn't hold it in anymore and he looked over at Black Star. "Hey Star?"

Black Star raised his eyebrows in response but kept his eyes on the road. "Hm?"

"How come…" Kid started and then paused to swallow. "How come you never told me you were gay?"

Kid opened his mouth again to elaborate, but Black Star was already shrugging one shoulder. "You didn't ask."

A silent moment passed before Kid erupted into bubbling laughter, soon joined by Black Star's low rumble. And then the two of them were laughing hysterically, their hands clasped tightly together between them.


End file.
